After all, the 68-year-old founder and president of Reapfield Properties, a well-known name in the real estate industry, has many life experiences to share.
But looking at him today, it’s hard to imagine that he was once a drug addict.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, Ong recalled that it started with cigarettes he was a teenager who mixed with the wrong kind of friends.
“That’s why I’ve always believed cigarettes are one of the main gateways to other kinds of drugs. If you dare to smoke a cigarette, you may start experimenting with more.”
Then, he began drinking alcohol and soon, drugs followed: marijuana, at first, then heroin. Before long, he was an addict and struggled with intense withdrawal symptoms if he did not get his next heroin fix.
Thankfully, his parents got wind of his drug problem and stepped in. Ong was their only son and youngest child, and they knew they had to get him help.
Over the next four years, Ong tried methadone replacement therapy to help reduce his cravings for drugs, and to ease his withdrawal symptoms.
He checked into a detox programme at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital and later, a rehabilitation programme at a private facility in Penang. He even consulted a “bomoh”.
But nothing worked and he relapsed several times, finding his way back to drugs. “I told someone, ‘I will live an addict and die an addict’. I didn’t have any hope.”
Finally, taking his psychiatrist’s advice to extricate himself from his present environment, Ong went to stay with relatives in Singapore.
There, he attended a meeting with five ex-Changi prisoners. One was a former chief gangster; another was imprisoned for criminal breach of trust. But all of them, Ong recalled, changed for the better after becoming Christians.
That day, Ong converted to Christianity. After returning to Malaysia, he checked into a Christian drug rehabilitation centre called “Joe’s Corner” in Petaling Jaya.
“I was not serious. I smuggled drugs and cigarettes in,” he recalled. Eventually, he left.
But his father had had enough and gave him three choices: return to Joe’s Corner; check into a government rehabilitation facility; or get out of the house.
Ong opted for Joe’s Corner. “I decided to get serious with God and not have my own way.”
This time he stuck with the programme, and left the centre two years later at age 25, free from addiction.
“Since then, by the grace of God, I have never touched a cigarette or gone back to drugs. I grew to hate it.”
Despite not having passed his Form Five examinations, Ong wanted to make something of his life. So, he got a job as a clerk, then tried his hand at sales.
His entry into real estate happened by chance. His parents’ neighbour wanted to sell her house and he helped facilitate the sale.
It sparked an interest in him, and he worked to get his real estate agent license. He was only 29 years old when he set up Reapfield Properties with several friends that same year, although his partners subsequently left.
Looking back, Ong shared that there were many bright moments in his life thereafter. He received the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) awards for “Real Estate Agent of the Year” in 2010; “Real Estate Agency of the Year” in 2011; and “Chief Executive Officer Award” in 2017.
But there were as many rough times, especially during the various financial crises. At one point, he operated his business out of his home when he couldn’t afford the office rent.
But he never gave up. Asked what lesson he learnt while trying to beat his drug habit, he said: “I learnt to trust God. Without God, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Today, the father of three daughters and grandfather of three grandchildren also oversees a drug rehabilitation centre called Breakthrough in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. He also spends a fair amount of time on church work.
He admitted however, that he still fights his demons every now and then, but added: “I always believe that smooth seas don’t make skilful sailors. Storms are meant to strengthen us.”